CONNECTICUT TO MICHIGAN:

THE DANIEL W. BALDWIN STORY

BY CAROLYN L. GRIFFIN

Transcribed by Sam Scott

My husband Earnest E Griffin's third great-grandfather was Daniel W Baldwin who was born in 1808 in Connecticut, the son of Daniel B. and Demaris Baldwin. They arrived in Alleghany County, New York about 1820 or 1821. According to the HISTORY OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NY published in 1879, "...In 1820 George Glover from Ontario county settled in the southwest part, and Daniel Baldwin on the Otto farm the same year or the next."

Alleghany County is located in the south-west tier of counties of New York state. It is bounded on the west by Cattaraugus county, on the north by Wyoming and Livingston Counties, and on the east by Steuben County, and on the south by the state of Pennsylvania. It was founded from Genessee County on 7 April 1806. It was part of 3 land purchases: the eastern tier of towns from the Phelps and Gorham purchase: the center row of townships from the Morris Reserve: and the 2 western tiers in the Holland Purchase. (Shear, TALES OF ALLEGHANY CO. , p. 2)

The town of Allen was formed from Angelica on 31 January 1823. The town census ranged from 898 people in 1830 to a high of 1026 in 1855. (HISTORY OF ALLEGANY CO., 1879)

The 1860 GAZETTEER OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK described Allen as "hilly upland divided into ridges by the valleys of the streams." Allen Center was a "hamlet...with no stores, taverns, doctors, or lawyers..."(p.170) Allen was primarily devoted to farming and dairy interests. Many owned sheep but after wool declined, cows took their place and then revenue was primarily from cheese, veal calves, hay. (HISTORY OF ALLEGHANY CO., NY, p. 502). Only a few scattered farms remained there when I visited in 1996.

The 1850 Allen, Alleghany County, NY census enumerated Daniel W. Baldwin as a 42 year old carpenter and joiner from Connecticut worth $780. With him were his wife Evalinda 27,Charlotte E. 10, Miron (Myron) 8, Demeris 4, and Sarah F. 1/12. Nearby were his parents Daniel B. (a carpenter and joiner) and Demaris both 66 from Connecticut with land worth $2000 with Eonos C. 32 a farmer born in New York worth $500, Mary Vauks 18 born in England, Daniel Franklin 14 born in New York and Elizabeth Mooruff 19 born in New York.

The Alleghany County New York agricultural census of 1855 showed Daniel and Enos Baldwin owned 75 unimproved acres. They had land worth $3400, $795 of stock, and $300 worth of tools. Daniel Baldwin alone had 60 improved and 45 unimproved acres valued at $1400. Enos Baldwin also owned 90 improved and 50 unimproved acres in Granger, Alleghany Co. worth $4900 cash, $700 in stock and $250 in tools and implements.

The 1855 New York state census described Daniel Baldwin as 45, married, a farmer with wife Evalinda 32 from Tompkins and children Charlotte 14, Myron 12, Damaris 7, and Sarah 5. All the children were born in Allegany County. His father Daniel 70 from Connecticut was a joiner enumerated with his wife Damaris 70 from Connecticut and Ann Clark 12 a friend from Alleghany County. Daniel W. and his parents had lived in Allen for 30 years. This meant they arrived between 1820 and 1825 although records indicated that they might have purchased land before that date.

Deeds indicated many land transactions which took place while they lived in Alleghany County. On 12 January 1839 Daniel B. Baldwin of the town of Allen bought 100 acres of land for $200 from William Short, Attorney Allen Agriculture. On 13 January 1840 Samuel L. Baldwin sold Daniel land for $436. Daniel also purchased land from Silas Cooper on 7 July 1846 for $80. He sold land on 2 June 1852 to William L Andrus which was signed by Daniel B. and Demarius Baldwin.

Daniel W. Baldwin and his wife Evalinda sold land on 3 October 1848 to Catharine H. Rice for $150. On the same day Asa Cooper also sold land to Catharine Rice. Originally it was "deeded by Asa Cooper and wife to Daniel W. Baldwin." On 23 May 1853 Daniel W. and Evaline of the town of Allen sold land to Alfred D Burt for $975 which were lands original owned by Asa Cooper. Daniel W. sold land to Samuel Pratt on 4 November 1857 for $1582.50, and sold 100 acres of land for $2000 to William Short on 10 October 1863.

The July 1860, P,O, Allen Center, Town of Allen, Allegany Co. census enumerated Daniel Baldwin 75 a farmer worth $2500 and with wife Dama 75. Both were from Connecticut, with domestic Ann Clark 17 and Adaline Clark 12, Enos Baldwin was a 42 year old farmer with wife Mary Baldwin 48 of England, George 5, Flora 2, and Elizabeth Nokes 20, a teacher born in England.

Daniel's younger brother Enos Baldwin was 68 from Connecticut and married one time but was a widower. He was a native voter, and owned land. With him was his daughter Jane Baldwin 31, and single of Alleghany County. He owned 100 improved and 40 acres unimproved acres in the 1865 New York State census.

Nearby was another Enos Baldwin in the Granger, Alleghany Co. census. He was 78 from Connecticut. He was a retired farmer living with his son George Baldwin 40, a farmer born in Alleghany County with wife Alice 42 from Livingston County, daughter Adrianna 16 and son Charles F. 13 both born in Alleghany County. He was described in the HISTORY OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY published in 1879, as dying at the age of 79 on 25 September 1876. He was a justice of the peace for 32 years, held many jobs, and was a captain in the state militia. He came from Mt. Morris, Livingston County, and took up a farm at Short Track. His son George W. Baldwin was a well known resident of the town. George was born in Granger on 14 October 1834 . His father was a native of Connecticut who came to the area in 1823. G.W. Baldwin married Miss Alice Gray of Allen on 22 November 1857. He owned 146 acres of land and was the excise commissioner. (p. 519)

We do not find any Daniel or Demaris mentioned in the 1865 Alleghany Co. New York census or the 1870 Federal census, so we believe that Daniel W. had already moved to Michigan after the death of his parents. No will or other records seemed to appear in the Alleghany court records for them.

Within a few years, records about the family appeared in Michigan. Daniel and Evalinda's son Myron Baldwin was granted a homestead certificate on 20 May 1862 in Wexford Co., MI. He was a 27 year old farmer with land worth $2000 and personal property worth $100 in the Wexford County Census. By the 1880 census, Myron was a 36 year old born in New York with his wife Rose 30 of Pennsylvania, and a daughter Lulu 5 and Maud 1 born in Michigan.

On 11 April 1868 in Manistee County, Daniel and Evalinda of Wexford were witnesses for the marriage between their daughter
Sarah Baldwin age 17 and Irvin W. Benson both of Wexford County.

Daniel and Evalinda appeared in the 1870 P.O. Sherman, Wexford Co., Mi census as a 62 year old farmer born in New York and his 48 year old housewife also born in New York. They owned land worth $2000 and personal property worth $350. The 1880 Wexford Twp., Wexford Co. MI census described Daniel as a 71 year old farmer born in New York with parents from Connecticut and Evalinda as a 59 year old housekeeper born in New York with parents from New York.

Their daughter Demarious Baldwin had married William E. Dean. The 1880 Wexford Co. census described William as a 34 year old from New York living in Springville Twp. With him were Demarious 33 from New York, Evilinda (Evalinda) 12, Samuel E. 4, Charles E. 2, and William 5/12. The children were born in Michigan. The 1900 MI census soundex listed William Dean as 54 born May 1846 in New York. He was living in Springville Twp, Wexford Co. Demarious was 53 born in March 1847 in New York. Charles E. was 22 born August 1877, William B. was 20 born December 1879, Jennie V. was born December 1882, and Lauria Wood 33 was born April 1867. All the children were born in Michigan.

Their youngest daughter Sarah F. Baldwin who married Irvin Waterman Benson in 1868 also lived in Wexford County. They has 8 children: a male born 5 February 1870 who died 10 February 1870; Edgar Daniel born 3 April 1871; my husband's great-grandmother Elvira Winogene born 18 April 1873; Rose born 14 August 1877; Fred born 30 June 1879; Marcus born 19 April 1881; Nellie Maria born 26 April 1883; and Charlotte (Lottie) born 26 August 1885. After being widowed on 15 August 1891, she married Joseph McDaniel on 24 March 1896. She later moved to Idaho and then to Washington state where she died at the age of 86 years, 11 months, and 19 days on 6 March 1935 at Key Street in Bellingham, Whatcom County.

Deeds from Wexford County showed William E. Dean and wife Damarious of Springville, Wexford Co., sold 169 acres of land to Evalinda Baldwin on 15 July 1887 for $5000 and on the same day Evalinda sold the same land back to her daughter Demarious C. Dean for the same $5000. Daniel W. Baldwin transferred 120 acres of land to Evalinda on 5 November 1890. His son-in-law William E Dean, Justice of the Peace, appeared in Daniel's behalf which was filed 28 November 1890 shortly after Daniel's death on 17 November 1890. There was no will to probate.

The Wexford Twp., Wexford County census enumerated Evalinda as 77 born October 1822 with parents from New York. She had an adopted son William W born May 1881, parents unknown.

By 1901 the family felt that Evalinda was being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people and her personal worth $250 and property worth $1200 should be preserved by a family member. Her granddaughter Mabel Rose of Sherman was chosen to protect her interests. The document listed her relatives son Myron Baldwin 61 of Wexford, daughter Demarious Dean 57 of Sherman, daughter Sarah F. McDaniel 54 of Bulah (Beulah) or Sherman, and Mabel Rose 45 year old granddaughter from Sherman.

We do not know when Evalinda died, but we have traced the Daniel W. Baldwin family from Connecticut to Alleghany County, New York, and into Wexford County, Michigan, where they farmed, raised their family, and became productive citizens.